In 1997, Japan was at the forefront of climate action. Today, it’s a laggard hyper-actively financing coal in Asia. Just as bad, it has ambitions to build 40 new coal-fired power plants at home, on top of 100 existing ones.

With Europe working toward minimum cuts of 40% in greenhouse gas emissions (from 1990 levels) by 2030 and China aiming for non-fossil power to account for more than 50% of total power generation by the same date, Japan needs to sharpen up its act or risk getting left behind in terms of efficiency and technology, as well as the environment.

Fortunately, many of the country’s largest corporations are pursuing a low-carbon future.

Sustainable construction could be a solution to India’s plastic waste crisis.

In India, 15,000 tonnes of plastic are dumped in the streets everyday due to unsuitable recycling alternatives But guess what? India could construct buildings from recycled plastic and solve its plastics crisis

The study, in partnership with colleagues from Goa Engineering College India, demonstrated that replacing 10 per cent of sand in concrete with plastic waste could simultaneously solve a national sand shortage and reduce the growing amounts of rubbish on the streets.

A study forecasts that in the absence of interventions, groundwater contribution to Ganga river’s water flow would continue diminishing in the summer for the next 30 years.

The dwindling of Ganga river would severely affect water available for surface water irrigation, with potential future decline in food production. This decline in river flow also has implications for achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

Experts, not associated with the study, also pointed to the combined blow of surface and groundwater misuse has beleaguered the Ganga river basin. Agricultural inefficiency is a chink in the chain, they say, when it comes to sustainable water use.

Opinion: Why Are Himalayan and North Eastern States staring down the barrel of a water crisis?

The recent NITI Aayog’s recent report titled, ‘Composite Water Management Index’ (CWMI)’ showed a dismal performance of the Himalayan and North Eastern states on water use and conservation. Why are Himalayan and North Eastern states staring down the barrel of a water crisis? WaterAid India’s Nirma Bora tries to answer in this article in NDTV.

Although they are often the actual cultivators, the lack of land rights among women farmers in Odisha has resulted in chronic distress because they are unable to get government loans or compensation over crop loss.